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WWE talent have been told that they are no longer required to undergo regular COVID-19 testing ... and some people aren't happy about it.
According to Sean Ross Sapp over at Fightful Select (subscription recommended) members of WWE's main and developmental rosters were informed of the change via email. Several WWE Superstars are believed to be in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 and the reported rule change didn't sit well with everyone.
Prior to the change of strategy, testing was mandatory and developmental talent at the Performance Center were required to submit two test results per week, while main roster talent on the road were required to submit one.
Fightful's report comes the day after WWE was forced to make several last-minute changes to its Madison Square Garden house show card. Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, and WWE Champion Big E all missed the show, and while the reason for the absences has not been officially confirmed, Rollins did seemingly confirm that he has COVID in a recent tweet.
WWE's Day 1 pay-per-view is just a few days away and, as always, the card is subject to change. If Rollins tested positive for COVID over the weekend he will presumably have to quarantine for at least 10 days (unless he is a-symptomatic, in which case the CDC recommends a 5-day quarantine), which means he'll likely miss the event at which he was initially scheduled to participate in a Fatal Four-Way match for the WWE Universal Championship with Kevin Owens, Bobby Lashley and WWE Champion Big E.
If, as some people suspect, WWE is currently dealing with an outbreak, its next few shows could be very interesting. But It wouldn't be the first time the company has had to think fast and instigate last-minute changes in order to ensure its programming goes ahead. As you might recall, SmackDown was invaded by NXT talent when several members of the main roster became stranded in Saudi Arabia back in November of 2019.